Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

direct

 - 6 dictionary results
DIRECTV - Special Deals
New: DIRECTV Offer Just Got Better. 150 Ch Pkg now only $29.99/mo (1yr)
directv-deals.com
DIRECTV - Official Site
DIRECTV: 150 Channels for $29.99/mo Order & Lock in price until 2011.
www.directv.com

di⋅rect

  [di-rekt, dahy-]
Use direct in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to manage or guide by advice, helpful information, instruction, etc.: He directed the company through a difficult time.
2. to regulate the course of; control: History is directed by a small number of great men and women.
3. to administer; manage; supervise: She directs the affairs of the estate.
4. to give authoritative instructions to; command; order or ordain: I directed him to leave the room.
5. to serve as a director in the production or performance of (a musical work, play, motion picture, etc.).
6. to guide, tell, or show (a person) the way to a place: I directed him to the post office.
7. to point, aim, or send toward a place or object: to direct radio waves around the globe.
8. to channel or focus toward a given result, object, or end (often fol. by to or toward): She directed all her energies toward the accomplishment of the work.
9. to address (words, a speech, a written report, etc.) to a person or persons: The secretary directed his remarks to two of the committee members.
10. to address (a letter, package, etc.) to an intended recipient.
–verb (used without object)
11. to act as a guide.
12. to give commands or orders.
13. to serve as the director of a play, film, orchestra, etc.
–adjective
14. proceeding in a straight line or by the shortest course; straight; undeviating; not oblique: a direct route.
15. proceeding in an unbroken line of descent; lineal rather than collateral: a direct descendant.
16. Mathematics.
a. (of a proportion) containing terms of which an increase (or decrease) in one results in an increase (or decrease) in another: a term is said to be in direct proportion to another term if one increases (or decreases) as the other increases (or decreases).
b. (of a function) the function itself, in contrast to its inverse. Compare inverse (def. 2).
17. without intervening persons, influences, factors, etc.; immediate; personal: direct contact with the voters; direct exposure to a disease.
18. straightforward; frank; candid: the direct remarks of a forthright individual.
19. absolute; exact: the direct opposite.
20. consisting exactly of the words originally used; verbatim: direct quotation.
21. Government. of or by action of voters, which takes effect without any intervening agency such as representatives.
22. inevitable; consequential: War will be a direct result of such political action.
23. allocated for or arising from a particular known agency, process, job, etc.: The new machine was listed by the accountant as a direct cost.
24. Electricity. of or pertaining to direct current.
25. Astronomy.
a. moving in an orbit in the same direction as the earth in its revolution around the sun.
b. appearing to move on the celestial sphere in the direction of the natural order of the signs of the zodiac, from west to east. Compare retrograde (def. 4).
26. Surveying. (of a telescope) in its normal position; not inverted or transited.
27. (of dye colors) working without the use of a mordant; substantive.
–adverb
28. in a direct manner; directly; straight: Answer me direct.
Origin:
1325–75; ME direct (adj., adv.), directen (v.) (< AF) < L dīrēctus, dērēctus (the latter prob. the orig. form, later reanalyzed as dī- di- 2 ), ptp. of dērigere to align, straighten, guide (dē- de- + -rigere, comb. form of regere to guide, rule)

Related forms:
di⋅rect⋅a⋅ble, adjective
di⋅rect⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. See guide. 4. Direct, order, command mean to issue instructions. Direct suggests also giving explanations or advice; the emphasis is not on the authority of the director, but on steps necessary for the accomplishing of a purpose. Order connotes a personal relationship in which one in a superior position imperatively instructs a subordinate to do something. Command, less personal and, often, less specific in detail, suggests greater formality and, sometimes, a more fixed authority on the part of the superior. 18. open, sincere, outspoken.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To direct
DIRECTV - Special Deals
New: DIRECTV Offer Just Got Better. 150 Ch Pkg now only $29.99/mo (1yr)
directv-deals.com
DIRECTV - Official Site
DIRECTV: 150 Channels for $29.99/mo Order & Lock in price until 2011.
www.directv.com
di·rect   (dĭ-rěkt', dī-)   
v.   di·rect·ed, di·rect·ing, di·rects

v.   tr.

  1. To manage or conduct the affairs of; regulate.

  2. To have or take charge of; control. See Synonyms at conduct.

  3. To give authoritative instructions to: directed the student to answer.

  4. To cause to move toward a goal; aim. See Synonyms at aim.

  5. To show or indicate the way for: directed us to the airport.

  6. To cause to move in or follow a straight course: directed their fire at the target.

  7. To indicate the intended recipient on (a letter, for example).

  8. To address or adapt (remarks, for example) to a specific person, audience, or purpose.

    1. To give guidance and instruction to (actors or musicians, for example) in the rehearsal and performance of a work.

    2. To supervise the performance of.

v.   intr.

  1. To give commands or directions.

  2. To conduct a performance or rehearsal.

adj.  

  1. Proceeding without interruption in a straight course or line; not deviating or swerving: a direct route.

  2. Straightforward and candid; frank: a direct response.

  3. Having no intervening persons, conditions, or agencies; immediate: direct contact; direct sunlight.

  4. Effected by action of the voters, rather than through elected representatives or delegates: direct elections.

  5. Being of unbroken descent; lineal: a direct descendant of the monarch.

  6. Consisting of the exact words of the writer or speaker: a direct quotation; direct speech.

  7. Lacking compromising or mitigating elements; absolute: direct opposites.

  8. Mathematics Varying in the same manner as another quantity, especially increasing if another quantity increases or decreasing if it decreases.

  9. Astronomy Designating west-to-east motion of a planet in the same direction as the sun's movement against the stars.

  10. Sports Being a free kick in soccer by which a goal can be scored without the ball being touched by a second player.

adv.  Straight; directly.

[Middle English directen, from Latin dīrigere, dīrēct-, to give direction to : dī-, dis-, apart; see dis- + regere, to guide; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

direct 
c.1374, from L. directus "straight," pp. of dirigere "set straight," from dis- "apart" + regere "to guide" (see regal). The adj. is from c.1391. Director of films, plays, etc., is from 1911. Directory "alphabetical listing of inhabitants of a region" is from 1732.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: di·rect
Function: transitive verb
1 : to order with authority directed that the car go to his niece>
2 : to order entry of (a verdict) without jury consideration directed a verdict in favor of the defendant>
3 : to act as director of intransitive verb : to act as director

Main Entry: direct
Function: adjective
1 a : stemming immediately from a source <direct costs> direct claim> —compare DERIVATIVE b : being or passing in a straight line from parent to offspring : LINEAL direct ancestor> —compare COLLATERAL
2 : marked by absence of any intervening agency, instrumentality, or influence <direct consequences>
3 : effected by the action of the people or the electorate and not by representatives <direct democracy>
4 : characterized by close logical, causal, or consequential relationship direct interest in the outcome of the litigation> —di·rect·ly adverb

Main Entry: direct
Function: noun
: DIRECT EXAMINATION direct>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see direct on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way